Jennifer is an award-winning writer and bestselling author. She is currently dreaming of an around-the-world trip with her Boston terrier.
Agnethe “Neta” Rattenborg, 103 years old
When you walk into Agnethe “Neta” Rattenborg’s room, one of the first things you’ll notice is the collection of blue and white china plates decorating the walls.
“The plates highlight different landmarks around the world; her favorites are the scenes from Copenhagen.
“Well, I’m from Denmark,” she says by way of explanation.
Neta grew up in Aarhus, Denmark, before she immigrated to the United States after World War II. She met her husband during the war while he was in medical school. Afterward, his medical residencies led them all over Denmark while their family grew.
In 1959, the family immigrated to the United States when Neta’s husband accepted a position at a university. The family moved to Hyde Park. Three of her children had to take English lessons because they didn’t speak the language when they arrived, but one more son was born in Chicago and always spoke English. In an ironic twist, her American-born son now lives in Germany.
In Denmark during World War II, Neta worked as a pharmacist. Supplies were so low at the time that anyone who needed medication from her pharmacy had to bring their own bottle. She learned later that the pharmacy’s garage was used as an explosives storage site for the underground resistance. Today, Neta worries about the trajectory of the U.S. She sees an alarming number of parallels to the rise of Hitler and fascism in the world before WWII broke out.
Neta passes the time now by reading magazines and coloring. Her apartment at Three Crowns Park assisted living community is covered with art supplies and coloring books, many filled with expertly blended and shaded flowers and birds. She’s dabbled in pottery and jewelry making as well, and absolutely loves animals, interacting with them whenever possible.
Being 102 isn’t easy, Neta says. She hurts all the time and can’t walk. There’s an instability that comes with age, and she worries that she will fall. She has trouble hearing, too. It never occurred to her that she would live this long, especially because no one else in her family has.
For Neta, participating in activities as much as she can is the most important part of living at her age, even if she’s struggling. “You can’t sit and whine all the time,” she says. “You have to manage.”
